Team history
The WAM! were founded in 2004, around the time the NRL — established in 2002 — was preparing for its inaugural season. It wasn’t until the 2007–08 season that a formal National Ringette League division was included in the annual Canadian Ringette Championships. However, the WAM! found early success, winning a national title while representing Alberta in the Open Division at the 2007 championships. [1] The coach of the winning 2007 team was Lisa Brown, a member of the Ringette Canada Hall of Fame inducted in 2008 in the Athlete category. Brown was also a former player for the Canada National Ringette Team.
The team captured its first official NRL title at the 2010 Canadian Ringette Championships, held in Saskatoon. The WAM! avenged their 2009 gold medal loss by defeating the Cambridge Turbos 2–0 in the final, with goaltender Keely Brown earning a shutout. [2] The two teams faced off in the final for a third consecutive year at the 2011 Championships, where Edmonton claimed its second straight national title with a 4–2 victory, highlighted by Brown’s 50-save performance. [3]
The team remained competitive, including winning back-to-back bronze medals in 2014 and 2015. [4] Jenna Debaji, Dailyn Bell and Jamie Bell were named to Team Canada for the 2016 World Ringette Championships, where the team won silver. [5]
After the 2022 season, veteran Emily Lubbers retired from the team and became the head coach of the WAM!. Lubbers was an athlete on the team since 2011, winning two silver and two bronze medals at the Canadian Ringette Championships. [6] In her first season as coach, Lubbers led the WAM! to a 22–4 record to finish atop the Western Conference. The team was a favourite ahead of the 2023 Canadian Championships in Regina, SK. There, the WAM! went undefeated to win their first national title since 2011. Gillian Dreger, Melissa Misutka, and Annie Debaji were all named to the tournament all-star team, while Misutka won Defence of the Year as well. [7]
After the 2023-2024 regular season placed them third in the west the WAM! had a 5-2 record at the 2024 Canadian Ringette Championships in Dieppe, NB where they defeated the Calgary Rath 10-3 for a second consecutive national championship. Gillian Dreger, Annie Debaji, and Melissa Misutka were all named in the tournament all-star team. [8] Dreger and Mistuka were nominated and selected as Center of the Year and Defence of the Year respectively. [9]
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Edmonton, Alberta
2016 Team Canada Senior